It has been found that the health of a dog or other such pet, can be improved by providing a feeding position which is raised above the ground or floor. This reduces or eliminates the need for the dog to position its' head downward during feeding. Among the benefits of an elevated feeding position are that the dog swallows less air during feeding. Moreover, dogs suffering from arthritis can feed with reduced pain. Overall, an elevated feeding position provides a more comfortable and convenient feeding position.
While there are structures known in the prior art which provide an elevated position for a feeding vessel, these structures have many significant disadvantages. The disadvantages include feeding vessels which are fixed to the support structure, or feeding vessels which have curved bottom surfaces. These types of feeding vessels are inconvenient to fill with foodstuff, such as dog food or water. Moreover, such feeding vessels cannot be placed on the ground or floor for use separate from the support structure.
Feeder apparatuses of the prior art have included many different designs. For small animals, a feeder apparatus may include non-removable feeder vessels which are typically molded into a one-piece feeder apparatus of approximately 2-3 inches in height. Obviously, a feeder apparatus of this size does not require legs for support.
For larger animals, those requiring a feeder apparatus having a height of six inches or greater, feeder apparatuses of the art tend to be large structures with legs for support or of a multi-piece box design. A feeding apparatus with legs tend to have support problems. Thus, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,509,376 it is taught a feeding apparatus for larger animals wherein the legs are hollow to allow ballast to provide support. The legs may be detachable in which case the unit is of multiple parts. In some structures, the unit may have foldable legs to provide a reduced "footprint" of the feeder assembly for shipping or display. Such detachable or folding legs tend to become unstable during prolonged use.
None of the above elevated feeder assemblies have a one-piece support base nor allow for the "nesting" of the feeder assemblies. Nesting is an exceptionally important concept that allows the feeder apparatus to reduce the amount of retail shelf space needed for display, and also allows the consumer to see the entire unit. The present invention combines the concept of a one-piece molded construction support structure with increased stability with the concept of nesting to provide a low-cost, highly stable elevated feeding apparatus with compact storage and handling capabilities.